Turn off the screens. Turn up the play!

This post was written by Jason Dunkerley from The Active Living Alliance for Canadians With Disability. In an era where screen time trumps outdoor time, and where unstructured activity and coming home only after dark or for dinner is being replaced by supervised play dates and healthy snacks, the spontaneous play which flavoured our childhood and that of our parents is increasingly a thing of the past. Efforts to promote improvised playtime carry a sad irony of course; after all...

Now that we’ve turned the clocks forward and spring’s arrival is imminent, my schedule is getting busier. I don’t think it’s just me; it feels like we’re all slowly waking up from winter’s hibernation and wanting to get things done — be it at work or at home. When I have a growing to do list lurking on the corner of my desk, setting aside an hour for yoga (plus the round-trip commute to the studio) seems indulgent. Some days...

ParticipACTION’s Sneak It In Week, a campaign that drives public awareness about the need to sit less and move more during the workday, will take place the week of April 6th! An initiative that ultimately seeks to change social norms around physical activity at work, Sneak It In Week has inspired positive change in a lot of Canadians. In a survey of past Sneak It In Week participants, nearly everyone reported that the initiative was easy for their organization to...

Social norms can be described as the accepted standards of behaviour in a particular group. In Canadian culture, there are definitely unwritten rules about what you can and can’t do—especially at the office. Sometimes, they’re so subtle and entrenched that we don’t even “notice” them anymore. Have you ever thought about the fact that what’s considered appropriate might also be keeping you from living a healthier life? Especially as we lead up to ParticipACTION’s annual Sneak It In Week...

If you are someone who used to be active, find yourself in a rut, or don’t know where to start, taking the first step to becoming physically active can feel like an enormous one. But it doesn’t have to be, if you find ways to move that feel good for you. When it comes to physical activity, one size does not fit all. I know this because I tried (unsuccessfully) to be a runner for many years. I thought running...

I’ll admit it. I’m guilty as charged. Checking my phone is something I do ALL the time. I am regularly physically active, but I know that the time I spend in front of my devices is time I could better spend in other ways. And, I can’t help but feel guilty about it! I recently downloaded the Moment app, which tallies the total number of minutes I spend using my smartphone, and I was shocked to see that I average...

Sitting for long periods of time, say eight hours a day, five days a week (just an example!), can leave you stiff and achy. I asked Toronto-based yoga instructor Hetal Patel for some stretches that can alleviate soreness that comes from sitting at a desk all day. “Desk yoga is also great if you are constantly walking throughout the day; the impact on your spine from taking heavy,...

When we saw the headline, “Zack Sandor-Kerr builds his own curling rink in The Junction” on CBC News, we had to know more! So, we went straight to the source to get some insight into how he built his own curling rink in the backyard. Zach Sandor-Kerr is a backyard curling instigator who loves high-fives, bees, boardgames, 3D printing, grammar and geekery. He is a Digital Strategist at Hill + Knowlton Strategies in Toronto, ON. 1. Tell us a little...

The Rideau Canal Skateway in Ottawa celebrates its 45th year this year, and last month all the talk in Edmonton was about the creation of “Freezeway” — an 11-kilometre multi-use trail through the city’s downtown core that, in the winter, would have LRT and green corridors turned into skating trails. Why wait for public transit when you can simply strap on a pair of skates and head off to work or meet a friend for lunch? All this to say,...

Today, I think we all took in a moment of silence to mourn that 1 hour of sleep we lost. But, despite my fatigue, I am actually thrilled to welcome daylight savings time this year!For me, DST is an early reminder of the coming spring, and all the joys that comes with the additional sunlight.This year, to mark the occasion, I am challenging myself to a week of active commuting to work. Through the winter, I usually find myself particularly...